The Useless Machine 2.0

Flip the toggle and a little wooden finger pops out, pushes the switch back down, and disappears into the box. That’s the whole act, and it’s delivered with a completely straight face. The box does nothing useful, and it’s proud of it.

The build is what caught my eye. It’s cut from 3mm poplar laser ply, and the pieces lock together with no glue and no screws, which feels like a puzzle box that wants you to take it apart. A small PCB handles the wiring, so the fiddly part is mostly out of your hands. You can pick a soldering-required kit, a no-soldering kit, or a fully assembled box, depending on how much of the building you want to do.

At about 110 x 80 x 50mm without the switch, it sits on a desk without taking over. It runs on two AAA batteries, which aren’t included, so grab a pair before you start. It’s a good gag gift for an engineer or a coworker who already owns too many gadgets. The honest drawback is that the joke wears thin after a few dozen flips, so the craft has to carry it from there.